Cape Canaveral

Cape Canaveral (kunăv'urul) [key], low, sandy promontory extending E into the Atlantic Ocean from a barrier island, E Fla., separated from Merritt Island by the Banana River, a lagoon; named (1963) Cape Kennedy in memory of President John F. Kennedy, it reverted to its original name in 1973. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's John F. Kennedy Manned Space Flight Center (including the Spaceport USA museum) is located there. Since 1947 the cape has been the principal U.S. launching site for long-range missiles, earth satellites, and manned space flights. The first U.S. space satellite (Explorer I; 1958); John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth (1962); and Neil Armstrong (see astronauts), the first man on the moon (1969), were launched into space from the cape. In Nov., 1982, operational flights of space shuttles began. The region around Cape Canaveral has attracted many rocket and guided-missile-related industries. Patrick Air Force Base is nearby.